Trails get makeover at Glen Oaks College in time for Michigan Trails Week
CENTREVILLE — There’s a special opportunity for those who love the great outdoors and Glen Oaks Community College.
When storms ripped through the area in August 2021, there was much cleanup to do, including at the college.
GOCC science faculty member Ren Hartung and his friend and former faculty member Jerry Barkley took to clearing the college’s trails, chainsaws in hand.
But they did more than clean up fallen trees. They worked to enhance what was there. Earlier this summer, a group was formed called Vikings Outside, for friends of GOCC’s outdoors.
The purpose of the group is to engage students, employees and community members in exploring, expanding and improving the college’s outdoor spaces and activities.
At a recent Oaks Fest event at the college, students were invited to help paint trail marker posts. Maps are in the works and plans are in place for trash containers along the trails and disc golf course. Improvements to the cross-country trail for GOCC’s new team also are coming.
Hartung said the outdoor spaces at GOCC are open to the public.
"Everybody owns this college because it's taxpayer money," he said. "If you're a community member, we have stuff outside that you can have fun with."
Hartung and Barkley have had help along the way and still invite anyone interested to help in the cause. Firewood from the cleanup, once seasoned, also will be sold to benefit the Glen Oaks Community College Foundation.
This week (Sept. 18-25) coincides with Michigan Trails Week, an annual celebration of the many nature trails that cover the state of Michigan.
There are over 13,000 miles of state-recognized trails across Michigan, including in state parks and open forest areas. There's also many thousands more miles of local, county and federal trails.
For a more comprehensive list of Michigan trails, visit the Department of Natural Resources parks and trails map online.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Trails get makeover at Glen Oaks College in time for Michigan Trails Week
